t of Alabama as a redshirt freshman with a 348-yard, four-touchd

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Lamar Thomas is never short on words, chatting up anything and anybody no matter the subject.Hes especially talkative discussing the art of catching the football and turning it into a game-changing play, which are his primary goals coaching Kentuckys wide receivers. Developing that same big-play ability and swagger begins with mastering the important first step of consistent pass-catching, the bottom-line strategy being stressed by the former University of Miami standout and NFL veteran.Thomas is among five new assistants brought in by Wildcats coach Mark Stoops this season in hopes of making the programs first bowl appearance since 2010. Thomas arrives after two seasons at rival Louisville, which has denied Kentucky that critical sixth victory necessary for bowl eligibility the past two seasons thanks to a dynamic receiver corps he coached.Though mindful of how his cross-state move raised eyebrows in the Bluegrass State, Thomas prefers not to discuss his former job and is more focused on establishing consistency for a unit that has lacked it.Guys in that room are striving to be better, Thomas said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. Im jovial and let them know I want them to be better. Being across the field from them, I saw and heard stuff around here that guys have been very inconsistent, and they cant run from that.They have to accept it, but theyve got to get better.Thats especially important with Kentucky switching to a pro-style offensive scheme with new co-coordinators Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw. Asked this week whether that means receivers could be free to improvise routes, Stoops said they must understand what defenses are showing and be able to alter them.Improvement is necessary for an offense that averaged 11.5 yards per reception and managed just 10 touchdowns last season.Thomas believes the first step is finishing plays. Rather than watch video of past performances to gauge where his receivers needed growth, he viewed their workouts this spring and focused on tweaking mechanics, footwork and concentration in an effort to get it right.Its just repetition and getting them to be able to do it in their sleep, said Thomas, adding that he began noticing improvement by the end of drills.Kentucky begins practice Thursday with the return of top receivers Garrett Johnson and Dorian Baker, who each had more than 600 yards receiving and combined for five touchdowns last season. Thomas has sought to instill his passion for playing the position to them and other receivers while making sure they develop off the field.Gran credits Thomas for making an immediate impact.(Hes) someone thats been there, someone who played at a great program and played in the NFL, Gran said. All these guys want to play at that level, so he brings credibility. He gets after their tails and lets them know you cant perform like this if you want to get to that level.The Wildcats will be hard pressed keeping pace with Thomas loquaciousness, especially on social media. On Thursday, he told his nearly 10,000 Twitter followers on his UK account that he was retiring from the site before returning 30 minutes later to tweet: I just couldnt Live with myself !!!!! ... IM BACK.Stoops welcomes Thomas outspokenness and notes that personality is key to effective recruiting and coaching. For a Kentucky squad seeking its first bowl bid since 2010, its definitely part of the process.I like the way Lamar coaches, I like the way he goes about his business, the coach said. If it was just the flair I wouldnt be very into it (because) youve got to have some substance behind what you do. ... I want to see results with our receivers -- by any means necessary. Spud Webb Jersey . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Mike Bibby Jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Jeremy Lin Hawks Jersey . 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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When Alabama couldnt shake Texas A&M in a battle of unbeaten, Top 10 teams, it was Jonathan Allens scoop-and-score defensive touchdown that effectively brushed aside the latest would-be challenger.What else?A star defensive end, Allen returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown in the final seconds of the third quarter to help Alabama beat the sixth-ranked Aggies 33-14 Saturday and continue a non-offensive scoring streak thats as impressive as those 20 consecutive wins.The Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) moved on as the powerhouse leagues last unbeaten team, getting yet another in a long string of defensive scores. Allen scooped up the ball after Ryan Anderson knocked it loose from Keith Ford to finally build a cushion over the Aggies (6-1, 4-1), who led 14-13 well into the third.You know you dont think about it, Allen said. Its all reaction. We just train ourselves to pick up all loose balls in practices and its good to see it happening in the game.Its happening again and again.The score was 20-14 when Allen extended Alabamas streak to 10 games with a score on defense or special teams, pushing the seasons total to 12. Allen now has scored twice on fumble returns.I think that was the real turning point in the game, because it changed the momentum of the game, Tide coach Nick Saban said. Those plays are always huge in games, but that one was especially huge.The Tide, however, sustained a big loss when safety Eddie Jackson was injured in the fourth quarter and didnt come back after a punt return. Saban said Jackson, a senior and team leader, is out for the season with a broken leg.Alabamas freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts then galloped 37 yards for another score, stepping out of a defenders grasp and making a nifty move to get past another. The Tide was rolling again, a powerful encore to easy wins over ranked Tennessee and Arkansas teams.The Aggies seemed poised to put up the biggest fight, with a defense that kept the pressure on Hurts and a handful of big runs by quarterback Trevor Knight. Then Allen and Anderson changed that in an instant.ddddddddddddCostly penalties hurt the Aggies, too, including a roughing the passer penalty to keep Alabamas go-ahead touchdown drive going earlier in the third.You really have five minutes in the game that determined what happened, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. We extended the drive with the roughing the passer, then we extended the drive again, I think it was an offsides. So you back that up with a fumble returned for a touchdown in a game like this, against a team like that, that cant happen.Alabama racked up five sacks of Knight, who had engineered Oklahomas Sugar Bowl upset of Alabama as a redshirt freshman with a 348-yard, four-touchdown performance. He passed for 164 and ran for 24 in the semi-rematch.Hurts passed for 166 yards and rushed for 93 more, throwing for a pair of touchdowns while getting intercepted twice. Damien Harris rushed 17 times for 126 yards.THE TAKEAWAYTexas A&M: The Aggies led deeper into the game than any other `Bama opponent, the 6:33 mark of the third quarter. Knight made some plays with his running but was also given little time to hit receivers downfield by Allen & Co. Knight threw a pick on the first play after the defense intercepted Hurts in Alabama territory. The SECs top running team was held to 114 yards.Alabama: Dominated the stat sheet (303 yards to 150) in the first half but settled for two short field goals and Adam Griffith missed a third. It was enough to keep it in doubt. The defense gave up back-to-back long TD drives late in the second quarter and to open the third, but delivered big plays when it had to.POLL IMPLICATIONSAlabama was already a near-unanimous No. 1 , but this could cause the lone holdout voter to reconsider. Texas A&M shouldnt veer too far out of the Top 10 despite the lopsided final score.UP NEXTAlabama has an open date before visiting No. 25 LSU.Texas A&M gets a break from SEC games against New Mexico State. ' ' '